Welcome to HomeStart

HomeStart is the only real estate or mortgage company that offers industry secrets everyone in both industries knows. But they prefer you uninformed and ignoran to how it all really works. Visit the HomeStart Store to begin learning what no one will tell you.

Many Realtors® and mortgage professionals exploit the consumer’s lack of knowledge in real estate and mortgage finance. But HomeStart is here to educate and assist the consumer. We support you, so we hope you’ll support us.

Bring it home! These industry secrets have been kept out of reach from you for too long! This information belongs to you too! Learn anything and everything you could possible want to know about real estate or mortgaging. There are endless industry secrets below that most professionals in both industries would prefer you didn’t know! Well - time to level the playing field. Visit the HomeStart Store to begin learning what only HomeStart will teach you.

  • What a Real Estate Agent Should Really Do

  • Ten Questions For Your Real Estate Agent

  • Beware The “New Home” & The Subdivision Builder

  • Looking For Real Estate Without A Real Estate Agent

  • Buying Real Estate As Non-Married CoBorrowers

  • Buying a House that Was Just “Flipped”

  • What a Mortgage Originator Should Really Do

  • Ten Questions for Your Mortgage Originator

  • Real Estate & Mortgage Basics

  • Understanding Credit & Credit Scores

  • Renter To Homeowner - Your First Purchase

  • Buy Your First Home & Become a Landlord All in One Shot

  • Responsible Zero Down Financing

  • Purchasing a Multi-Family Property

  • Removing Your Non-Resident FHA Coborrower

  • For Sale By Owner

  • Home Equity Investing

  • How & Why to Do a Combination Mortgage

  • How & Why to Time the Closing of Your Refinance

  • Using a Coborrower for Just One Year

  • Steps in Building a Home

  • Being Your Own Builder

  • Being Your Own Construction Lender

  • Properly Buying Investment Property

  • Divorce - Dropping an FHA CoBorrower But Still Qualifying

  • Beginner Purchase

  • Beginner Purchase + Rehab

  • Beginner Purchase + Construction

  • Refinancing the Problem Borrower - VA/FHA Streamlines

  • Purchasing & Funding Improvements at the Same Time

  • Divorce - Use Cash Out to Pay Your Ex & Keep the House

  • Cut Years Off the Life of Your Home Loan

  • How to Build Credit When You Have None

  • Legally Manipulating Your Credit Scores Higher

  • Legally Skip Two Mortgage Payments

  • Lease-Purchase by Refinancing

  • The Pros & Cons of “Waiving Escrows”

  • Delay Tax on an Investment Property Sale - 1031 Exchange

  • Tax Reduction Mortgage Techniques

  • The Difference Between a Refi & a Cash Out

  • What is a “Texas” Cash Out Refinance?

  • Pay Off Property Taxes without a Cash Out Loan

  • The Difference Between a Rehab & Construction

  • How to Properly Manage a Construction Project

  • Are There Government Construction Loans?

  • The Difference Between a Cash Out & a Home Equity Loan

  • How to Read an Appraisal

HomeStart also offers free, General Tutorials for beginners, for those acquainted with owning a home and for advanced real estate owners - covering purchasing, refinancing, rehabbing and construction loans.
Additionally, under our General Consultancy, HomeStart provides free, homeownership “road maps” to help soon-to-be buyers prepare for mortgage financing and homeownership. This is a one hour session called “Homeownership GPS” and it can be reserved on the HomeStart Store.

HomeStart’s General Tutorials are divided by both experience level and transaction information.

Beginners = No real estate owned, or
No knowledge of real estate or mortgaging, or
Real estate transaction completed but prior lender(s) did not educate well

…can learn about purchasing, rehabilitating and/or construction with:

…and can learn about refinancing, rehabilitating and/or construction with:

  • Beginner Refinance

  • Beginner Refinance + Rehab

  • Beginner Refinance + Construction

…can learn about or refresh knowledge of purchasing, rehabilitating and/or construction with:

  • Refresher Purchase

  • Refresher Purchase + Rehab

  • Refresher Purchase + Construction

…and can learn about refinancing, rehabilitating and/or construction with:

  • Refresher Refinance

  • Refresher Refinance + Rehab

  • Refresher Refinance + Construction

Intermediates = Any previous transaction with Mortgage Portfolio Services, or
1 to 2 real estate transactions with prior lender(s) that educated well

Advanced = Numerous real estate transactions completed and at least one lender that educated; or
Two or more transactions with Mortgage Portfolio Services.

…can refine their knowledge of purchasing, rehabilitating and/or construction with:

  • Advanced Purchase

  • Advanced Purchase + Rehab

  • Advanced Purchase + Construction

…and can learn the more complicated advantages of refinancing with or without rehabilitation or construction with:

  • Advanced Refinance

  • Advanced Refinance + Rehab

  • Advanced Refinance + Construction

HomeStart also offers free, General Tutorials for Ground-Up Construction for all three experience levels:

  • Beginner Ground up Construction (Lot + Build)

  • Refresher Ground up Construction (Lot + Build)

  • Advanced Ground up Construction (Lot + Build)